Spring structure for upholstered furniture



p 9, 1958 w. M. PIETRUSZKA 2,851,088-

SPRING STRUCTURE FOR UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE Filed Dec. 1a; 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 A; 24 I /6 Fig-3 Fig.5

INVENTOR.

Wal fer M. Piefruszka w- MM /3 ATTORNEY Sept. 9, 1958 -w. M. PIETRUSZKA SPRING STRUCTURE FOR UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE Filed Dec. 1a, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wa/fer M &

IIYVENTOR. lei'ruszka I I A TTORNE Y United States atent 2,851,088 Patented Sept. 9, 1958 his SPRING STRUCTURE FOR UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE Walter M. Pietruszka, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Kay Manufacturing Corporation, a corporation of New York Application December 18,1956, Serial No. 629,048

6 Claims. (Cl. 155-179) This invention relates to the spring seats and backs of upholstered furniture and particularly to that type employing corrugated or sinuous springs.

The invention contemplates the provision of a yieldable support for an intermediate point of a pre-stressed corrugated spring thereby applying tension to the support and torsional movement to the spring, and providing an integral terminal cantilever portion on the spring itself, unattached to and free of the frame of the piece of furniture except for the support. The resulting relatively free and unstressed cantiveler portion yields readily about the end of the support as a fulcrum, and the support also yields to produce not only a soft edge on the seat or back but also a deep seat, while the resilience of the middle pro-stressed portion or" the spring is enhanced by the shortening thereof when weightedin use by the sitter.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a simple and inexpensive floating or semi-floating platform on the spring structure wherein the free unattached end portions of the corrugated springs themselves form the soft edges of the cushioned structure and yield or remain elevated independently of the movement of the middle parts of the springs, when weighted.

The invention further contemplates the provision of an inexpensive yieldable spring support easily attachable to the frame and to an intermediate point of each corrugated spring of the spring structure, the support serving automatically to fix the spring in any desired spaced relation to and independently of adjacent similar springs and maintaining the main span of the spring in a torsional pro-stressed condition if desired.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a yieldable support for an intermediate point of a sinuous spring or the like and constituting the sole support for the adjacent end portion of the spring, the support taking a variety of forms for use with frames and springs of various shapes, and permitting the inexpensive shaping of the surface of the spring structure or platform as desired, whether generally flat, concave, convex or combinations thereof, the support also permitting the spring itself to form its ownsoft edge.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows and from the drawings, in which Fig. l is a fragmentary top plan view of the rear and middle portion of a seat of a sinuous spring structure, the front portion being identical with the rear portion and therefore .not'being shown.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a sideel'evational and partial sectional view thereof, part of the front portion of the border wire being omitted to showthe hooked end of the support,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one form of the spring support.

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of one form of the shaped spring as it appears initially and prior to the reversal and installation thereof in the spring structure.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a modified form of the spring structure showing also a modified form of the spring support.

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of the structure of Fig. 6, but with the border wire omitted.

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of a modified form of the end of the support.

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view thereof taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 8 of a spring support having a staple attached end.

Fig. 11 is a side elevational view of Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary elevational view of a form of the support end adapted for use with an angle iro frame.

In that form of the invention shown in Figs. 1-5, the spring structure is made symmetrical between the front face 10 of the seat frame 11 and the rear face 12 (Fig. 3) of the frame. Consequently, the corrugated or sinuous springs 13, 13a, 13b and 13c, extending in parallel relation between said faces 10 and 12 and in lateral spaced relation to the frame, are nowhere directly attached to the frame, but the middle part 14 of each spring forms the upper member of a truss-like arch spanning the space between opposite sides of the frame. The springs may be of the initially arcuate type designed to be'straightened or reduced in curvature to a considerable extent When installed, each spring having crossbars connected to each other.

A pair of supports such as 15 and 16 for each spring form the respective end members of the arch and are preferably inclined to reach from a point on the top of the frame to a point as 24 intermediate the ends of the spring, thereby to provide a free end or integral cantilever portion as 18 at each end of each spring. Each support is preferably yieldable when the floating platform provided by the springs is weighted under the weight of the sitter. In the form shown, the support is made of a single length of wire shaped at one endto hook on to the corrugated spring and at the other end to be aifixed to the frame in any suitable manner. A clip as 19 (Fig. 4) secures together the ends of the length of wire forming the support, said ends being located at one leg 20. The opposite leg 21 of the support ,is integrally joined to the lower end of the leg 20 by the crossbar 22 entering the clip 23 which is nailed to the frame. Theupper end of the support is hook-shaped to engage two consecutive crossbars 24 and 25 of the spring (Figs. 1, 3, 8 and 9) to lock the support thereto for movement as a unit therewith and against relative rotation in an unlocking direction. Bends as 26, 27 at the upper ends of the respective legs 20, 21 are adapted to pass upwardly and then outwardly around the crossbar 24. Another pair of spaced bends 28, 29 pass downwardly under the crossbar 25, then upwardly and inwardly to be integrally joined by the crossbar ,30 at the upper end of the support to form a pair of connected generally S-shaped side hooks at the respective upper ends of the legs and to provide a loop at said ends. As best seen in Fig. 3, the support 15 cannot be rotated in a clockwise direction relatively to its spring as 13, nor can the support 16 be similarly rotated in a'counterclockwise direction when the parts are assembled to each other and to the frame.

To avoid excessive side sway of the free end portions 18 of the springs and to permit neat upholstering, said end portions may optionally be joined by the relatively light and yieldable border wire 32 shown as passing around all four sides of the spring structure and joined to the spring ends at the front and back by clips 33 and to the side springs 13 and 13c by clips 34. As shown in Fig. 6 however, the rear and other partsof the border wire may be omitted and said wire may pass around three or less sides or parts of sides of the structure. Coil springs as 35 connect the springs as seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

As has been indicated, the springs are preferably prestressed and shaped, and held in their pre-stressed state by the supports 15 and 16. Since said springs are frequently made initially in arcuate form with a permanent set (Fig. the end portions of the springs are permanently bent outwardly out of their initial positions and at an angle to the middle parts, as at the points of attachment 24 of the support so that the cantilever portions 18 assume the desired positions in the structure. It will be noted that said portions 18 can bend about the fulcrums 25 or 24 thereof independently of the movement of the main middle part 14 of the spring and that downward movement of said part 14 under the weight of the sitter is resisted by the supports. Said supports are normally under tension due to the tendency of the spring part 14 to curl back into the initial unstressed shape thereof shown upside down in Fig. 5 if permitted to do so. However, the portions 18 remain unstressed and free to move under pressure whether the part 14 is forced down or not. When sufficient weight is put on said part, the supports 15 and 16 yield by pivoting in the clips 23 and may permit the fulcrums 24 and 25 to move downwardly, in which case the part 14 is somewhat shortened and its resilience increased, thereby to provide a deep seat, while the portions 18 may remain elevated if not weighted. To the extent that the spring structure is attached to the frame solely by the relatively rigid but pivotally yieldable supports, the platform formed by said structure may be termed floating. The supports adequately secure the springs in the proper positions and spaced relation thereof.

As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the top surface of the structure need not necessarily be like that of Fig. 3. Instead, the front half of the spring 40 is shaped as hercinbefore described with an outwardly bent cantilever end portion 41 and a relatively fiat and preferably pro-stressed middle portion 42. The rear end portion 43 of the spring is bent much more sharply than the front portion 41 thereby to permit the direct attachment thereof by the clip 44 to the rear rail of the frame 45 as shown in Fig. 7. Any suitable support of the general type previously described, movably connects the intermediate points constituting the crossbars 46 and 47 of the spring to the front part of the frame.

To illustrate that such supports may take a variety of different forms, the support 43 is shown in Figs. 6 and 7 as having free inner end portions 49 and 50, each in the shape of an S-hook, and one engaging the crossbars 46 and 47 and the other hooked to the crossbars 47 and 51. The leg 52 terminates in the hook 49 and is integrally joined to the leg 53 terminating in the book 50, by the crossbar 54. Obviously,- the main span or middle portion of the spring may be made flat, concave or convex as desired and is preferably set initially on an arc of small radius (Fig. 5) and pre-stressed when in place. Similarly, the end portions 41 and 43 may be shaped as found convenient or necessary to meet special conditions.

It has been indicated that the border wire connecting the ends of the springs may be omitted entirely, or at the sides or rear, or shortened to extend along part of the sides of the structure. Hence in Fig. 6 is shown the border wire 55 secured by the clip '56 to the front ends of the springs 40 and extending only along the front parts of the sides where clips 57 secure it to the side springs.

Figs. 8-12 show various forms of the lower or attachable ends of the support legs. In Figs. 8 and 9, the clip 19 and the crossbar 22 of Fig. 4 are replaced by the U-shaped portions 58 held to the frame by the clips 23 each having an aperture 60 therein for the passage therethrough of the portions 58. In Figs. 10 and ll, the leg ends 59 are shaped into arcuate form and stapled by the staples 61 to the frame. In Fig. 12, the leg end 62 is generally S-shaped to pass through a suitable opening 63 in the angle iron frame 64 without the need for any separate fastening element.

It will now be seen that a simple inexpensive spring structure has been provided, highly adaptable to meet various conditions, and economical in assembling time and labor and carrying out the various purposes of the invention adequately. While certain specific forms of the invention have herein been shown and described,v various obvious changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a spring structure, a frame, a set of corrugated springs arranged transversely across and in lateral spaced relation to the frame, each of the springs having an intermediate portion set on an arc of relatively small radius, relatively rigid supporting means for each spring movably connecting a fulcrum point of a spring intermediate the ends of the spring to the frame to provide a cantilever end portion on each spring beyond and on one side of the fulcrum point and yieldable about said fulcrum point, part of the spring on the other side of the fulcrum point cooperating with the supporting means to form a collapsible arch generally convex outwardly and spanning the space between opposite sides of the frame, the rigid supporting means constituting the end member of the arch and enabling the intermediate and cantilever portions of the spring to yield independently of each other on the loading of the spring.

2. The spring structure of claim 1, the supporting means comprising a length of wire having a locking hook at one end engaging the spring at said fulcrum point and also at a point spaced longitudinally from the fulcrum point, the wire being pivoted to the frame at the other end.

3. The spring structure of claim 2, each of the springs having crossbars connected to each other, the length of wire having a pair of transversely spaced apart legs, and the locking hook being S-shaped to pass under one of the crossbars and over the adjacent crossbar and thereby to form a rigid connection between the hook and the spring locking the hook and spring against relative movement.

4. In a spring structure, a frame, a corrugated wire spring having the major part thereof set on an arc of predetermined radius and having crossbars connected to gether, an integral end portion of the spring being upheld in spaced relation to the frame and in an unstressed state and movable independently of the movement of said major part of the spring, and rigid supporting means pivoted at its lower end to the frame and rigidly connected at the upper end thereof to the crossbars at an intermediate point of the spring and maintaining said end portion out of contact with the frame and yieldable relatively thereto and relatively to the points of connection of the supporting means and the spring, the supporting means counteracting the inherent tendency of said major part to curl into said are of predetermined radius and holding said part in a pre-stressed state.

in an unstressed state, said means comprising a supporting member of a single length of wire having means at one end thereof rigidly to engage a pair of longitudinally spaced apart points of the spring at the junction of said 5 6 end portion and said middle part, a frame for the springs, References Cited in the file of this patent and means at the other end ofthe member to support said other end pivotally to the frame. UNITED STATES PATENTS 6. The spring structure of claim 5, the spring having 2,551,800 Hopkes May 8, 1951 connected crossbars, the supporting means having a pair 5 2,646,108 Norman July 21, 1953 of transversely spaced apart legs each terminatnig at the upper end thereof in an S-hook constituting the means FOREIFHTI PATENTS rigidly engaging the crossbars of the spring. 271,639 Great Britain June 2 1927 

